Play It Safe with Your Head and Face

"It's the same technology that's used in more expensive noise canceling consumer audio headphones like those from Bose," she indicates. "But the NoiseBuster is much heavier-duty for industrial applications, and it costs half as much.

"The reality is that hearing loss is insidious," she continues. "You don't know that it's happening. The cilia in the ear are little hair-like cells that are susceptible to damage by exposure to noise. You don't know you're damaging your hearing because it doesn't physically hurt. It takes you by surprise — and it's irreversible."